Hot & Crusty

I have never been treated like this at any other hot and crusty. A couple two orders behind me total took my bagel and the preparer who knew it was for me gave it to them and told me to wait. By the time I got my order my train was leaving so I couldn’t speak to management. 2ND an d last time this will happen to me. Not going back.

I wanted some baked goods, so came here. I got the peanut butter cookie; cheap, chewy and huge. Also, the customer service was good. Why 2 stars? The cookie didn’t taste fresh, tasted like it was sitting there for awhile. meh maybe the other food there is better.

Had a tuna sandwich and oatmeal raisin cookie. The sandwich focaccia bread was very greasy and the tuna was thin and dry. The cookie was stale. so im not heading back here anytime soon

After going here for several months now, about once or twice a week, today will be the last time I will be going there.
The food is fast & not bad, but some of the employees I can’t take anymore. Specifically, the African American woman behind the bagel counter in the back. She is a miserable person & I don’t like starting my day with someone like that. Very rude, never a hello, thank u, or would look u in the eye, never a smile. I hope the owner reads this review & others on Unilocal,obviously I am not the only one with this comment. FIRE HER! Tons of bagel stores in Manhattan, will be going to someplace else for now on. Will rather pay more money than to deal with this employee again.

I’ve been frequenting this spot every now and then over the past 10 years and it always stays the same (including the employee that has been there longer than me and never forgets me or what I eat… even after a year of no carbs).
Every bread that they make is fresh and perfect in consistency. Yes, it’s a carb overload and a habit that you don’t want to start… but any bread from this place is quite the treat.
My favorite has always been the everything twist with butter — crusty outsides, soft instead… perfectly chewy and the taste is amazing (esp if you like garlic). My second favorite is their delightfully soft and satisfying challah roll. You can’t get this bread anywhere else… well not in this quality.
There is a wide array of baked goods, sandwiches and salads and they work fairly quickly. But the bread is the specialty hands down.
How can you go wrong with a $ 2 breakfast treat. Great place, highly recommended. I hope they stay in Penn forever. (Much better than Zarros Bread, really).

The bialy was doughy, yeasty, bland. I hear the bagels are hot and crusty.
The location is super convenient, however I would not suggest stopping in unless you happen to be passing by.
Would not recommend.

My husband and I got egg sandwiches to eat on the train to Long Island. Halfway through his sandwich, he cut his tongue and pulled out a long piece of metal, which he almost swallowed. Yum?

Service is very meh but I loved the cookies by the pound option, which is perfect if you want to taste a variety of mini versions. My afternoon treat of 3 each of the miniature elephant ears, sesame thins, and almond thins was great and only came to about $ 2.50! For a taster/​nibbler like me, it’s really perfect. The croissants are decent, as well, but my allegiance still lies with The Little Chef in Princeton.

I am writing this review not for food. But for the bad customer service. The employees make fun of the customers in Spanish in front of them thinking no one understands it. This is awful. I hope the owner finds out about this.

Came back here today in Grand Central because I was craving an everything bagel toasted with cream cheese– I have to say that I was very relieved and pleased with my choice after my terrible bagel experience in Penn Station a few weeks ago.
The bagel was warm and fluffy with the right amount of cream cheese– the man even cut my bagel into quarters which is the BEST way to eat a bagel (and savor every bite). While I would come back to the grand central location, hot and crusty’s bagel dough is a little too sweet for my taste (why I give them 3 stars).
I would never choose them over a dunkin or an einsteins, but for people craving bagels by a hot and crusty? It was pretty good.

I was waiting for my train to Hicksville (what an unfortunate name), and I wanted a classic New York bagel and black & white cookie. Both were awesome. Out of all the fancy restaurants and hip coffee shops I went to while in NYC this past weekend, the thing I’m craving to have again is this place! Service SUCKED, but it’s in a train station for crying out loud :) I ate my toasted blueberry bagel with cream cheese on my train ride and then had the cookie later in the day, it was the smartest, most delightful purchases I made all weekend!

Hot and crusty is the best and the cheapest coffee I’ve found in Penn (second to McDonalds, but they’re super crowded and their food isn’t food) and their breakfast food is amazing. Their pastries are also amazing. They sometimes don’t have their grill on in the morning, though. :|

This is a good place to grab a sandwich before surfacing up into NYC streets or on your way back to home. I love the challah to go, a great souvenir to remind me of my trip to the city every time I get it.

Review By the Boy:
I was walking around NYC with my mom and though we didn’t have to catch a train there, we walked into Grand Central Station. I got my picture taken with the clock and we did some other stuff, but the whole time we were there we smelled this delicious smell. We had had lunch earlier, but I was still hungry since it turned out my sandwich had mayonnaise in it, thus making it disgusting and inedible. (It was from a nice cheap restaurant called Pax, one that I’d rate at about two and a half stars)
Anyway, as we’re going out we see this vendor named Hot & Crusty, and being the gullible non New Yorkers we are, we fell for it and jumped to the line where I ordered a chocolate crumb cake, dispute the suggestions from my mother that I get a croissant. So I get the crumb cake and as soon as I’m allowed I take a huge bite into it, expecting a hot, crusty, gooey and just plain delicious chocolaty delight.
You know what «wonderful» surprise I get?
A cold, crumbly, disgusting disgrace to crumb cakes everywhere. It was thrown away at the false Empire State (Chrysler) building, and will never (hopefully) be seen again by humankind.
Judging by their disgusting food, false name and boring servers I give this «food» stand one star, simply because I can’t give it zero, and I was not poisoned.

I have gone to Hot & Crappy, er… Crusty, over the past few years because it is quick and I can just jump on the train. The food is mediocre and the staff can be rude. Today will be the last time I spend a cent there.
I went to order a bagel at the back counter and I was the only person there. The woman behind the counter refused to look at me, stared straight ahead and said «Next.» I was still deciding and she said «NEXT» again more forcefully. I ordered and she angrily asked me in broken English (I think she was African) what type of bagel I wanted after I just told her. This angry-​at-​the-​world, irritated malcontent grabbed the bagel I asked for, chopped it in half as if it she had a machete, and threw it into the toaster. She then asked again what type of cream cheese I wanted after I told her THREE f’n times. When she was done I grabbed my bagel and went to pay for it. I really wanted to complain, but even the guy at the cash register was so unpleasant to deal with I just left.
I am so tired of dealing with people like this in the service industry who have no people skills or any clue of what customer service is. Why should she have a job in this bad economy? I looked at the other reviews here and there was one written in 2009 which described a rude woman at the bagel counter who yelled «NEXT» and refused to prepare a bagel the way the customer wanted. I think it is probably the same woman. Amazingly she has not been fired in all those years. Hopefully she will get deported back to the miserable failing state she is from and be rude to customers there.
For good food and nice employees go to Europan Café down the main hall towards the A Train.

Standard place to get some breakfast bagels while you’re at the LIRR Penn Station. Not much to say-​I got the egg, swiss cheese and sausage bagel which was pretty good, but nothing over the top.
Service was pretty quick, but it has to be since you are in Penn Stn!

Nothing more grueling then walking threw Penn station with sore blistered feet, smeared makeup, baby hairs stuck to my sweaty forehead, and roaring stomach whose growling with anger.
What could be more tempting than something hot and crusty? (Something hot, crusty, and cheap!) While not the most inexpensive, this eaterie gets the job done at 4something am when I’m rolling around Penn station making my way back to queens. That wait for the LIRR can be a real treacherous one, which is why I find myself driving more often, but on the rare occasion I do take the train this is one of the few spots I stop at to pig out as the wee drunken hours take over my mind, body, most importantly MA BELLY!
When I eat I GO IN! Now I’m not a snack kinda chic, no what I’m sayin; I’m a meal kinda woman, ya digg and hot and crusty can be pretty satisfying considering they serve a variety of soups, breads, pastries, salads and sangwhichs!
When I happen to arrive there isn’t usually much of an option so minus 1star. I understand the time may have ALL to do with that but c’mon its NYC: city that remains awake ALWAYS & FOREVER! I’m deducting another star because the very last time I came here the guy behind the counter was impatient and unhelping towards a person who doesn’t include meat in her diet. I have my questions GET OVER IT!

Hot & Crusty has a ton of pastries/​bagels, most of everything I’ve tried has been decent, not amazing but not disappointing either. The chain actually has about a dozen locations which makes for a good quick sandwich, soup, or snack. I came by this location in Penn Station for a black and white cookie. I found theirs (which they told me was fresh) to be far too dry so I wouldn’t get one of those from H&C again.
As a side note, if you’re looking for the best black and white cookie in the city the best moist versions can be found at Junior’s, Ess-​A-​Bagel, or Barney Greengrass. If you’re looking with something with a slightly drier but fluffy texture (with slightly crispy edges) I’d say Korn’s in Brooklyn would be the best.

I have stumbled in here in hooker heels after many long nights/​mornings of partying in the city that truly never sleeps.
I love this place. Now I will admit, my love could be due to the fact that I am extremely tired and in a state of euphoria from all the endorphins released while I shook my tookus merely minutes before arriving here. But, as I said, I always go here in the wee hours of the morning. The guys are always friendly and flirt with me subtly enough for me not to be creeped out.
I ordered a croissant one morning. Talk about delicious. It was huge and not so hot but very crusty. No worries. The darlings here have no problem warming up whatever you ask them to. Typically everything is hot and crusty as expected in the name.
The prices are beautiful. Very reasonable. That’s what I love about breakfast stuff. It’s always cheap, no matter where you go. They also have fruit and soup and all that good stuff that I hope to try on future runs in this place.
At any rate, this place is great and the seating is clutch if you don’t want to sit on the floor with the rest of the NYC slimes in Penn station.
I also always meet really nice people here. These are the few times I truly love the city.

I don’t know why some of the reviewers gave this place two stars, maybe because its in Penn Station? Well guess what you snobby SOBs, I like it here and I think the baked goods are spot on!
I love to get a prune Hamantaschen (tracing back to my Brooklyn roots in Canarsie) and a small coffee. They also make a great biscott for $ 1.25.
I think the bread here is great with many choices of Rye & Italian breads.
The items here are priced right, I’m a fan. But if your too snooty to say you got your coffee here, say you got it at the upper west side location ya poser!